Safety hook



" May `3 ,71927. 1,626,865

y R. E. NElLsoN SAFETY HOOK Filed Mayw 12, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 1 diga. :03.2.- y

. A TTORNEY May 3 1927.

1,626,865 R. E. NEILSON SAFETY Hoox Filed May 12, 1926 2 sheets-sheet 2 'INVENTOR B y Rabe/"fi M5750.

A TTORNEY Patented May 3, 1927.

Unirse STATES (W n. .u

PArfEn'r cornice,

ROBERT E.'1\TILSON,- 0F TUL'SA,"0KL'AHOMA.

SAFETY HOOK.

' Application led .May 12,

` releasing' position comprising a lever mounted on the Vbody'portion of the hook. The retainingv member preferably y.is pivotally mounted in the body portion of the `vhook V and yis adapted to close the entrance to the hook, being` held in 4such position by means oil a resilient member and beingrfpreferably provided with teeth that mesh with teeth on a pivotally mounted member with whichtbe resilient member engages. The operating-lever is Apreferably provided with al cam surface that engages with said last-mentioned pivotally!mountedfmember so 'as to move the same against the/action of the spring. The spring' isxpreferablv.unattached to the Apivotallymountedmember and thecasingr, being` merely mounted ingrooves in the casingr and engaging at oppositeiends with the casing and pivotally mounted-member.

.It is a further purpose of the invention to provide 'a lever .for operating the retaining memberto move the same to releasing position with a handle. the lever being-so mounted and the handlebeingr so located that after the lever has moved the retaining member to bail-releasing position. said handle can. be used vfor swingingthe hoolvcout of the bail.V This is an `important feature of the invention because, due to the weightof the bailv members andpartsattached thereto` itis dimcult to raise the bail vout of the'hook and by making the hook so .that the same can be removed from the bail without lifting the bail vbut merely yswinoing the same by-means of theilever'handle. thehook can be-removed from the bail with great ease without the necessity of lifting' any heavyparts.

l k.Itis affurther vpurpose of my invention to provi-de Aa new and improved swivel mounting 'for' my safety hook-comprising a bail member :that 'engages with trunnions on `a member embracinga shaft on-the hook and bearing' balls mounted in a suitable ball race in such a manneintbat the dust is excluded, therefrom th-is" .being v'preferably accom- "l lredzby recessingfthe memberl embracing 1926. Serial No. 1985552'.

the shaft-like:portion on the hook-and. providing a ball-retaining member that seats inthe recess Vso as to provide a substantially dust-tight joint betweenthe retainingizmember and the wall of the member having the recesstherein.

Other objects andadvantages of the invention will .app-ear as the-description ofthe accompanying:l drawings proceeds. However, I ydesire to have it distinctly understoodthat I do not intend to limit myself to theexact details shown or described. butt that I intend to includeas part'ofmy invention allsuch obvious chang-es andmodifications` of-parts as would occur to a person skilled Vin this art and aswouldffallwithinfthe scope ofthe claims.

In the drawings: y Fig. 1 lis a `perspective viewof my .improved safety hook, Shen/infra portion of the i bail members associated therewith.

Fig. ,2 is; a vertical, sectional view thereof.

Fig. 3 is a view similar toFig. 2, showing` the retainingn member movedto releasing position.

Fig. 4 is a perspective viewl of the retainingPv member and the pivoted member engaginfr therewith, and Y Fig. 5 is a fragmentary, enlarged, sectional view showingT the spring and the seat therefor.

*Referring in detail to the drawings:

My improved safety hook comprises a body portion 10, which terminates in a hook end l1. The hook portion terminates in an upwardly and outwardly *extending lip yportion 12. the extreme end portion of which isrounded, as indicated at 13, thus providing a recess 14 which extends at an oblique/angle towardthe end of the hook from the entrance 15 thereto; said entrance being of slightly less .width than the main portion of the opening 14. The hook portion 11 maybe provided with a strengthening rib 16, if desired.. l

The body portion 10 is provided with an openingY 17 so as to provide a chamber therein for the retaining means and the operatingl means therefor. The chamber `formed by the opening' 17 in the lbody portion .10 opens outwardly at one sideof the body portion sowas to providea slot 18 andropens intothe opening .14 so as to provide a slotvlf).

Mounted within theopening .171is a retaining member or guard 20, which :is pivoted betweenftheside walls of the lbody iportion on the pivot pin 21. The body portion of the hook is further cut away at 22 to provide a recess for receiving the retaining member or guard 2() when the same is in releasing position, as shown in Fig. 3, a tin or lip being provided between said recess 22 and the mainportion of the openings 17 to act as a stop for limiting the movement of the member 20. The outer end portion of. the member 20 is preferably rounded, as indin cated at 24. The rear end portion of' the retaining member 20 is provided with a series of teeth 25,7which are adapted to mesh with the teeth 26 on the pivotally mounted member 27, said member being` pivoted on the pivot pin 28 extending between the side walls of the body portion 10 of the hook. VThe teeth thus form a portion of a gear that meshes with an arcuate rack formed by the teeth 26 on the member 27. The member 27 is substantially L-shaped, as will be evident. from Figs. 2, 3 and 4, in order to provid-e for the rack formed by the teeth 26.

A compression spring 29 is mounted between the seat 30 provided on the inner wall of thc member 10 and the side of the member 27 facing said seat. Said spring 29 is not secured to either the body portion 10 nor to the member 27 but engages with slightly concave grooves 31 formed in the opposite walls of the body portion 1() to hold the spring in position. The spring 29 will have a normal tendency to hold the parts in the position shown in Fig. 2 with the retaining member or guard 2O in hook-closingposition, the guard or retaining member 2O then retaining the bail 32 or other member engaged by the hook in engagement with the hook 11 and positively preventing disengagement of the bail or other member therefrom.

Then it is desired to disengage the bail 32 from the hook 11, the lever 33 is actuated to move the member 27 against the action of the spring 29; said lever being pivotcd on the pivot member 34 between the side walls of the body portion 10 and being provided with a convex cam-shaped end portion 35 that engages with the side of the pivoted member opposite that engaged by the spring 29 to move the same around its pivot in opposition to the spring 29. Such movement is brought about by pulling outwardly on the handle 36 provided on the lever 33, said handle being provided with a stop lug 37 to limit the inward movement thereof. When the. lever has been actuated in the manner described above. the parts will move to the position shown in Fig. 3. when the bail 32 can be disengaged from the hook 11.

The end of the body portion opposite the hook end 11 is provided with a reduced, rounded shank portion or shaft portion 38, tlmsproviding a should-er 39 where the shaft portion 38 joins the body portion 10. the corner between the shoulder and the shaft portion 39 being preferably slightly beveled, as indicated at 40.

A member 41 is mounted rotatably upon the shaft 38 and is provided with the outwardly extending trunnions 42, upon which the enlarged bearing members 43 on opposite ends of the lJ-shaped hail member 44 are mounted. Thus the body portion of the hook 10 can be swung about the axis of the trunnions 42.

The bail member 44 is held in position on the trunnions 42 by means of the bolts 45, engaging' in the screw-threaded openings in the trunnions 42 and the washers 46, held in engagement with the ends of the trunnions by the clamping action of the heads of the bolts 45.

The outer end portion of the shaft 38 is provided with screws threads 47, with which the screw-threaded retaining member 48 engages, said member being locked in engagement therewith by means of the Cotter pin 49. The member 41 is provided with a recess 50, surrounding the shaft 38, which. forms al ball race for the bearing balls 51. a ball-retaining ring 52. which has a co-operating ball race 53 formed therein, being mounted between 'the retaining member 43 and the member 41 and overlapping the wall of the recess 50 so as to provide a dust-tight ball race within which the balls 51 are mounted. In order to provide for the overlapping of the ball-retaining ring 52 and the wall of the recess 50, an annular Hange 54 is provided on the member 41; 'thus making it unnecessary to provide any extremely large amount of metal in the member 41 to accommodate the balls 51.

Due to the mounting of the hook on the swivel member 41 having the trunnions 42, the hook can be very readily withdrawn from the bail by merely continuing the lupward pull on the handle 36 after the parts have reached the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the hook portion 11 will be swung around towards the right in Fig. 3 and the bail 32 will be disengaged from the upwardly projecting portion 12 of the hook: said portion swinging around under the upper portion of 'the bail 32 as the hook is swung toward the right: this being accomplished due to the mounting of the hook on the bail 44 and due to the mounting of the lever 33 on the body portion 10 as well as due to the particular shape of 'the opening 14 and the end port-ion 12 of the hook whereby no opposition to the movement of the hook toward the right from the position shown in Fig. 3 will be encountered because of the bail 32.

What l claim and desire to ters Patent is:

1. In a safety hook. hook portion and on the shank for secure by Leta body comprising a a shank. a latch mounted movement across the hook opening to position for retaining an object therein, and an actuator for the latch normally yieldingly urging the latch to functional position, and a handle member hav-V.

ing camming relation with the actuator.

2. In a safety hook, a body comprising a hook yportion and a shank, the body comprising a chamber opening to the hook chan nel and 'through the side of the shank opposite the channel opening, a latch mounted on said body for movement across t-he chan# nel opening for retaining an object in the channel, and actuating mechanism in the body chamber, comprising an operating member geared to the latch and a handle member operable on the operating member, the handle or'tion being extended from the .side of the ody opposite the channel openmg- 3. In a safety hook, a body comprising a hook portion and a shank, the shank having a chamber opening to the hook channel and through the side opposite the channel opening, a latch pivotally mounted in said chalnber and adapted to swing across the channel opening, an actuator pivotally mounted in said chamber and having operative connection with the latch, a spring urging the actuator to retain the latch in functional position, and a lever pivoted in said chamber having' a cani arm vfor operating 'the actuator againsty the tension of said spring, and a handle portion extended from the shank.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT E. NEILsoN.V 

